Not A Small-Town Girl

After completing the job, they would head overseas to lay low. The reward would be enough to keep them comfortable for a good while.

Danielle watched the pursuit through the side mirror, her demeanor unruffled. "Slow down a bit, Juniper. Don’t lose them entirely."

Juniper caught on immediately and eased off the gas, deliberately messing with their pursuers by switching speeds in a disorienting pattern.

The cars behind struggled to keep up, narrowly avoiding collisions. Inside, the passengers were thrown about chaotically, curses flying with every jolt. One unlucky man in the backseat was thrown forward into the front seat, nearly knocking himself out.

"You idiot! Do you fucking know how to drive?" the leader of the group barked.

"It’s not my fault... That woman is doing it on purpose," the driver protested, feeling aggrieved.

"Ram them! Force that car to stop," the leader instructed.

Through the rearview mirror, Danielle noticed the vehicles were about to crash into them. ’What a joke. With those cars, they’d never catch up, even at full speed, she thought.

"Pull over up ahead," Danielle said. They had reached a deserted stretch in the outskirts, the perfect place to deal with their pursuers.

Just as she gave the instruction, a gunshot rang out, and one of the cars rammed into them.

Juniper, while not as skilled a driver as Danielle, wasn’t to be trifled with. She deftly maneuvered the car, avoiding further damage.

"They’ve got guns," Juniper said, her voice sharp. "They’re not just here to scare us-they’re here to kill."

Far from being intimidated, a glimmer of excitement lit Danielle’s eyes. "This just got interesting, she thought. Just then, Danielle’s phone rang. It was David. She didn’t want to answer, but the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

"Hello-" Before she could finish, several more gunshots rang out.

On the other end of the line, David immediately shot to his feet. "Danielle, where are you? What’s going on?"

"Outskirts," Danielle replied in a steady voice, calmly assembling her weapon.

"Send me your location. I’m coming to get you. Promise me you’ll stay safe. Don’t get hurt." His tone was urgent, leaving no room for argument. Before Danielle could respond, the call ended.

"Nathan, gather everyone to the underground garage. We’re going to the outskirts," David commanded before bolting from his office.

His employees were startled by his frantic movement, wondering what could possibly have gone wrong.